Why do we Love our Audi's?

[Glen]

Not sure exactly why but I got to round to wondering what it is about our Audi's that make us love them?

Any thoughts?

[mark]

For me its the quality, reliabilty, looks and of course the premium badge on the back.

[Glen]

That's a good shout there. For me it's definitely to do with the fact that you get good quality. I've never got in one that didn't have a solid well designed interior.

[Batman]

I like my TT because it's fast. If I'm on a Sunday drive and there's a member of the 40mph club, it ain't a problem.

You know why? (Read the signature)

[steve240467]

for me, as an engineer its because they are german engineered.. this gives us a reliability of parts, build quality, and attention to detail..

Audi seem to have always been overshadowed by the likes of bmw and mercedes. but to me they are much better :)

[steven-a1]

This is my first Audi, the only car i wouldn't want to see go. Pure quality that you can feel in the drive. Just wish i could afford a new S3 ha ha..

[Bald Eagle]

My twenty-something daughter looked out of the window of my car, saw its reflection in a shop window, and told me, "Hey Dad, I didn't realise how cool your new car looks.  It looks really cool."

 

Praise indeed!

[Tech]

Understated design and attention to detail does it for me.  As an Audi Tech, the work that goes on behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly is very efficient too.

[cruze]

I don't love mine. Its my 1st Audi and been nothing but a pain in the butt since I got it. Expensive to repair, not really that good on fuel and a heater that does what it wants.

Guess mine was just the Friday afternoon car.

[Bald Eagle]

I don't love mine. Its my 1st Audi and been nothing but a pain in the butt since I got it. Expensive to repair, not really that good on fuel and a heater that does what it wants.

Guess mine was just the Friday afternoon car.

That's a shame. My heater seems to suddenly increase the fan speed, but I think that is when the engine has just warmed up and it can then deliver warm air to satisfy the selected cabin temperature. That is the kind of thing my last car, a top-spec Ford, also did. It also blew cooler air after the cabin had reached the set temperature. It is how thermostatic heaters work if you don't set the fan speed to auto.

I have heard that you have to negotiate the cost of services and repairs with Audi dealerships. That might be worth a try.

Fuel economy is overstated in the official figures for all cars. Which tdi engine does yours have?

[cruze]

Its a 1.9tdi AFN engine code. Its 15yrs old now and showing 166000 miles. Think the previous owner abused her alot

[Bald Eagle]

I found that a can of BG244 helped with the diesel motor in my last car.  It ran a lot smoother after the treatment, so it must have shifted some carbon like it says on the tin.  I didn't really look at the economy, but it must have improved if the injectors were less sooted up.

 

 My current motor is part-way through treatment with the petrol equivalent (BG44K) and seems to respond to the throttle better already.

 

Another few things I did to improve my old diesel were to:-

   Clean the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor (very carefully or you break the sensor wires and pay for a new sensor)

   Clean the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve (very dirty job but well worth it)

   Clean the inlet manifold (another very dirty job, but again well worth the results)

 

I should have also cleaned the inlet ports, but I was too afraid of dropping dislodged muck into the cylinders.

 

With the age of your car, you might not have exhaust gas recirculation, so EGR and manifold cleaning would not be required.  But if it is...

 

Recirculating the exhaust gas is fair enough for petrol engines, where it is mostly gas, but for diesels it is bad news.  Exhaust carries some unburned diesel fuel and some soot particles, which make an ideal mixture to gum up the entire inlet side of the engine.  So some people find the air channel in the EGR, manifold and ports has been reduced to a mere fraction of its original size.  This gives poor performance and awful economy and gets worse as the miles build up.  Fuel treatment doesn't have a chance of shifting the quantities involved (hence it being a manual job), but does work on the bits you cannot reach, like the injectors & combustion chambers.

 

There is something called Terraclean, where you can take your car to have the engine decoked.  It might be worth a go?

[cruze]

Thanks Eagle. I will certainly try your suggestions. Its a nice car to drive despite its age and probs.

I will let you know how I get on

[Bald Eagle]

Hi Cruze,

No problem!

 

I forgot to say, use carburettor cleaner for the MAF, EGR and manifold.  And wear rubber gloves for cleaning the EGR and manifold!

 

But remember, there's no need to clean the EGR and manifold if your car was built before exhaust gas recirculation was added.

 

Good luck!

[cruze]

OK thanx. I will check if it has an egr or not

[Lee Evans]

Great economy - Build quality - Style and looks

 

The New A4 looks great : http://www.newvehiclesolutions.co.uk/public/show/Audi-A4-review-136-SE-Technik-contract-hire?model_id=17373

 

Been looking at these for months - Got to get one soon,

 

Lee

[CHIPPO]

A4 Technik, So far not impressed , see my thread re stop/start and the electrical parking brake is just pain that give's no driver control or feel , but seems to be the aim of Audi to go down the route of removing control from the driver !

 

Fuel ecomomy not fantastic in the real world, the claims as with all manufacturers are wildly optomistic, having been calculated on a rolling road without air resistance , and everything turned off, and a hand built car. I'm getting approx 45mpg , and short of coasting down hill etc I doubt it will improve much. One dealer has already confirmed that this is what one can expect realistically.

 

So that drivel of sales blurb in the link above is a bit of a laugh , especilly being a drivers car, its not its soft barge for taking miss daisy out and the S line is less confortable than my Honda S2000. 

 

And its not hard to find a better lease deal that that we are paying some what less.

[Bald Eagle]

I think we also need a thread called "Why do we hate our Audi's?"  :D

[CHIPPO]

The trouble is all the tecnology , its just gettig to much , and Audi are not alone in this.

 

They are not drivers cars , VAG are slowly removing all of the driver feedback and driver inputs 

 

Hence the silly hand brake , no feel , its on or its off no driver input, A gimich , A solution to a non-existant problem

 

The more i drive it the more I have realised the steering is dead , with little feedback from the road and wheels 

 

All of the silly dashboard info displayed all of the time, its distracting , I only want to know about thngs when they fail or change not all the time, So Fuel Guage , Engine Temp , Rev Counter and speedo is all that required normally. Keep it clean keep it simple

 

I tired a Honda CRZ , the dash has more whistles and bells than a merry go round , never even test drove it !

 

And god know's what the cost will be to keep it all running in a few years time when wll this stuff starts to fail, or maybe they are good for 5 to 10 years then bin them. Whereas the last of the simple cars lasted too long maybe for the car companies ? I believe there was an A8 for sale on piston heads last year, about 6 years old for £2000 , it was scrap, Audi estimated repair costs £15,000 with no guarantee of sucess , there are reports of BMW cars with similar issues with the on board electronics. 

 

SO my Honda S2000 13 years old and fairly simple with just ABS , is in fact a good drivers car , lots of feel , driver control, ( albeit steering via early electronic steering rack is a touch dead to ) But the car speaks through your pants 

 

Audi is just taking it all away from the driver , or is it maybe that most people would prefer an electronic chaufer !!!!! and be wafted around in a soft barge , but then Audi need to sort out the ride/handig compromise.

 

The S2000 dash was just voted the best ever in an on line poll. It's clear, precise and simple . Althought the fule gauge is a tad eratic 

[Bald Eagle]

I changed from a Mondeo 2.2 TDCi Titanium X (with "sport" suspension) to my current A3 2.0 TFSi S Line and the harder ride of the Audi took a bit of getting used to - but it's no worse than my wife's Fiesta Zetec.  And the upside is that the Audi is very chuckable. 

 

The Audi steering certainly feels dead compared with the Ford, but it goes where I point it, thanks to the Goodyear Asymmetric 2's that I bought.  The Audi sat nav is in a far more sensible place than on the Ford - it was at knee level!

 

I still miss the Mondy, but I think the A3 is a better car.  It's not surprising you miss your old car, we grow attached to them.  Why not swap back to an S2000?

 

There's a nice one here:-

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201310219382281/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/model/s2000/make/honda/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/b904aa/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

[CHIPPO]

Bald Eagle , I still have my S2000 , its my week end toy , I have had it since new so now 13 years old.

 

That S you refer to is a 2008 model so a no no, the 2008-9 years models have suffered a lot of engine problems, some cars having as many as 2 new engines, with no actual reason being reported from Honda UK , although it is thought to be largly crank shaft end float. Some are fine but the failure rate was high when compared to the number sold in the UK at this time. Enitre production run was only about 120,000 virtually hand built on the NSX line.

 

The S is very sensitive to tyres and geometry, mine is currently running on Toyo TIR tyres the problem being soft side walls but good wet weather grip. But Geo is so important, mine is currently fairly OEM but with slight caster variation on the front to enable the car to track fairly straight on the average cambered uk roads. Camber is a tad more negative than OEM due to slighly lower ride height as a result of full poly bush suspension and coil overs with 8kg per mm spring rates all round. The rear toe adjusters are at their limit with 20 mm drop and to get OEM camber requires after market toe adjusters, but a bit more negative camber is so far working for me.  The ride quality is certianly better than the Sline A4 I had as a loan car, but similar to my A4, but of course with shed loads of feed back and control. The coil overs are Meister R running at 12 clicks from full soft for normal road use. I reckon maybe 20 clicks or so if one was to drive really hard or on a track day.

 

Their are quite few poeple running S2000 on Goodyear asymmetrics with good reports , but generally for both 16 inch and 17 wheels the most popular tyre is bridgstone RE050 but specific ref , I cant remeber what one, 

 

I have never driven a Mondeo, but i think the Journo's still consider it to be the one to beat in  overall ride/handling, and BMW 320 the finest driver's car in its class, but strangly I found it diff to drive smoothly or get used to the operation of the car during a test drive , i chose the Audi as it seemed a fairly nice drive in normal use, I drive maybe 100 miles a day , and like today 50 miles aroud the city and westend of London. 

 

My S2000 ,    http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/992986-a-conundrum-why-did-i-start/

[Bald Eagle]

Wow, your S is a beaut, and you did all the mods and rebuilds yourself so you know they were done properly.

 

Mondeos: I can't speak for the Mk4 but I have owned a Mk1, a Mk2 and two Mk3 Mondies.  The Mk1 & Mk2 were only 1800 petrol motors and the first Mk3 was a 115 bhp 2.0 turbo diesel, so none of these was especially quick but all were very sure-footed and able to pull well even with four people plus a full load of luggage across a lot of France in all kinds of situations.

 

The last one was a total beast.  When I bought it, it was on Marangoni Mythos tyres and had badly set up tracking all round.  The first time someone carved me up in the wet on the M25, I braked hard and the car steered hard left.  I had four-wheel tracking done after that and it transformed the feel of the car.  The cruddy tyres had to go as well, so I got Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas and that gave it a lot of grip.  Only then could I really use the performance from the 155 bhp 295 lb ft motor.  Then I cleaned out the EGR valve, intake manifold and MAF sensor, added a remap by Bluefin, a decat and a bigger intercooler.  A Ford mechanic then told me that my motor drove better than any other Mondeo he had ever driven.

 

I would recommend that you test drive a Mondeo just to see how good they are.  A lot of people sneer at them because of badge snobbery, but as you have heard, Ford really got the Mk3 practically perfect in every way!  The ride and handling are very well balanced, it can carry a lot of luggage but still fits in a normal space, it is eager to go but still economical it is reasonably priced but handsome to look at.

 

In fact, I had a little burn up a sliproad to a motorway against a Porsche Boxster before I modded it, and we were pretty evenly matched.  Gearchanges caused each of us to alternate pulling a little ahead then falling a little behind the other.  Once we joined the heavy traffic on the motorway, we both gave a good-natured wave before joining different lanes and separating in the traffic.  I would like to have met the same car after my mods!

 

I only drive about 5 miles a day and I wanted to get a newer car, so petrol was the way to go.  I miss the Mondy now and then, but the A3 has grown on me.  I love the looks and the performance, and when it has been back to Audi, the people are very good at customer service and they have even fixed faults free that were not covered by the warranty.  The Ford dealership has been good, but I was put off when I took then Mondy in due to a rattling sunroof and was told "Sunroofs rattle".  That is what put me off another car from there.

 

Again, your S2000 looks a cracker!

[CHIPPO]

Thanks its ok , and certianly drives nicely.

 

Dont forget the most improtant part to to consider when making a car go fast is , the driver full stop.

 

On S2ki we get people turn doing all sorts of mods and are still slow , they can't drive and then someone who can drive in a stnadard car runs rings around them, even at the likes of the nordshelf or spa. Depsite even turbos and 400+ horsepower ( I cant drive fast at all ) A good course is run by Car limits at North weald , done this twice , very useful.

 

The best mod to make your car go faster is driver trianing, followed by tyres and geo, if the car has the ability to be adjusted, the S has , camber, caster and toe at the front and camber and toe at the rear with some element of caster at the rear as a resut of the other 2.

[Bald Eagle]

I'm not an especially fast driver either, but I have had a racetrack session in a Lamborghini Gallardo, which gave me some great tips on high-speed driving.  I am also part-way through driving instructor training which massively raises road situation awareness and anticipation of the actions of other drivers.  It also teaches analysis and correction of one's own driving habits as well as how to maximise the vehicle's stability.  

 

And I did start my mods with tyres and suspension like you said! :D

 

In fact, the performance mods were less for top-end speed and more for the ability to accelerate into gaps that would have escaped me before.  And to have a bit of fun surprising drivers of BMWs and, ahem, Audis...

[CHIPPO]

I did North Weald in my S2000, the benifit of these courses are that they teach the limit of your car, the only real down side to your car is the tyre wear! But I just finished of a set of Toyo's. Riped all the square corners of off the tread blocks. Roof down all day landed up with bit of rubber in the car, but was great fun and very useful.

 

I did IAM some years ago, yes for sure road driving is all about perception, anticipation and threat awareness , and certianly then th IAM system was based on on "Roadcraft" the police driving manual.

 

With all of the driver aids and electronics I fail to see how an Audi can be considered  a "Drivers Car" any more, indeed i spoke to a chap a few years ago who had had an R8 for 9 months but was fed up with it as it intererred to much!